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General Manager — CV Example

A template for leaders who own the numbers, the team, and the customer experience.

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What Does a General Manager Actually Do?

Managers are responsible for the output, wellbeing, and development of a team, while also delivering on their own departmental objectives. The job is equal parts people management — 1:1s, performance reviews, recruitment, conflict resolution — and operational delivery. A typical week involves team meetings, stakeholder updates, budget reviews, problem-solving escalations from the team, and planning. Managers exist in every industry and sector. They typically report to a Director, Head of Department, or Senior Manager and are accountable for team headcount ranging from 5 to 30 people.

David Mitchell
General Manager
📍 Manchester, UK✉️ david.mitchell@email.com
Summary

Experienced General Manager with 8 years in hospitality and retail operations. Skilled at driving revenue growth, leading large teams, and delivering exceptional customer experiences across multiple locations.

Work Experience
General Manager at Hilton HotelsJan 2021 — Present
  • Oversee daily operations of 200-room hotel with 65 staff and £4.2M annual revenue
  • Increased guest satisfaction scores from 82% to 94% through service excellence programmes
Area Manager at Costa CoffeeMar 2018 — Dec 2020
  • Managed 8 store locations with 45+ staff generating £3.8M combined annual revenue
  • Grew like-for-like sales by 12% YoY through staff development and local marketing initiatives
Skills
Team ManagementBudget PlanningPerformance ReviewsOperationsStrategic PlanningHiringKPI TrackingStaff Development

What Recruiters Look For

General Manager CVs need to demonstrate full P&L accountability, strategic thinking, and people leadership. Recruiters want to see revenue figures, team sizes, budget responsibility, and tangible improvements you drove. If you managed a site, region, or department, quantify its scale.

Key Skills to Include

P&L management, strategic planning, team development, performance management, budget control, stakeholder management, change management, and commercial awareness. Industry-specific skills matter too: revenue management for hospitality, shrinkage reduction for retail, throughput for logistics.

Common Mistakes

Focusing too much on day-to-day management and not enough on strategic impact. "Managed daily operations" is expected of every manager. "Redesigned operational workflow reducing costs by 18% while improving NPS from 72 to 89" shows strategic thinking.

Formatting Tips

Two pages maximum for experienced managers. Lead with a summary that states your scope: revenue managed, team size, number of locations. Use bold formatting for key metrics.

Average Salary — General Manager

United States
$75,000 – $120,000
United Kingdom
$45,000 – $72,000
Germany
$52,000 – $78,000
UAE / Dubai
$55,000 – $88,000
Canada
$68,000 – $100,000
Australia
$78,000 – $110,000

Figures in USD. Ranges reflect mid-level experience (3–7 years). Senior roles and major metro areas typically sit at the top of these bands.

Top 5 Interview Questions — General Manager

1Tell me about your management style and give me an example of when it worked well — and when it did not.
Be honest and self-aware. Describe a genuine approach — not a textbook style — and show that you adapt to individuals. The second part of the question matters as much as the first; interviewers want to see reflection.
2Describe the most difficult personnel decision you have had to make.
This could be a redundancy, a PIP, a promotion you denied, or a hiring mistake you had to address. Show that you made decisions clearly, communicated them honestly, and prioritised the team alongside the individual.
3How do you manage a high performer who has become complacent or disengaged?
Show that you diagnose before you prescribe — is it boredom, a life event, lack of growth, or a culture issue? Describe a real conversation you had with a high performer who needed a challenge, and what happened.
4How do you handle a situation where you disagree with a decision made by senior leadership?
Show that you raise concerns privately and professionally, then commit to executing the decision once made. Describe a real example where you voiced disagreement through the right channels and still delivered.
5How do you set goals for your team and make sure people are actually progressing toward them?
Talk about the specific rhythm you use — quarterly OKRs, monthly check-ins, weekly standups — and how you make goals feel real and owned by the team member rather than imposed on them.

How to Tailor Your CV

Large multinationals like Procter and Gamble or Unilever look for managers with structured management training or MBA credentials alongside commercial track records — quantify headcount, budget, and business results. Tech companies like Amazon or Google want managers who are data-driven and can articulate how they have developed engineers. Retailers and hospitality groups want managers with operational grit, high team turnover experience, and measurable customer satisfaction scores. Start-ups want player-managers who can lead a team but also still do the work.

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